The Federal Reserve announced that they will make no change to the interest rate benchmark Wednesday, leaving interest rates in the range of 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent. Chairman Jerome Powell pointed to a solid job market and inflation still above the central bank’s 2 percent target rate as part of the rationale for the decision. Powell also acknowledged the potential impact of Donald Trump’s tariff plan on the economy, noting that “the effects on the economy remain highly uncertain,” but could result in higher inflation and unemployment. The relative good health of the economy gives the Federal Reserve the leeway to wait and evaluate changes as they happen, the chairman said. The next meeting of the Federal Reserve Board will be held in June. The post Fed Declines to Cut Rates appeared first on The American Conservative.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has adopted three different approaches towards three of India’s most important relationships in the past three months. First, India is on a path of deeper alignment with the United States (US). Donald Trump’s election meant there would not just be a new American administration but a new America itself. India had to decide if it wanted to pursue the course of deeper strategic alignment that it had embarked on with Washington DC exactly two decades ago when...

Vincent Van Gogh never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist (even though we've been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). Van Gogh died in 1890 at the age of 37 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France after shooting himself in the chest with a revolver. It was a tragic end to a turbulent life marked by mental instability and severe self-doubt. According to the Van Gogh Museum, in a letter to his brother Theo in 1890, just a couple of weeks before his death, Van Gogh wrote, "...my life, is attacked at the very root, my step also is faltering." The man was struggling and exhausted. The high standards he had set for himself and his art were taking a toll. He was unsure about his future and, up to this point, had not received much recognition for his work and thought himself a failure "as a man and as an artist."His most well-known work, Starry Night, was famously painted while Van Gogh was staying in an asylum in France 1889 after he mutilated his ear during a psychotic episode. According to the Van Gogh Museum, though, this may not be the full story. While it is widely agreed that Van Gogh did in fact cut off his own ear, the museum notes that it was because of a fight between Van Gogh and Paul Gaugin, the artist he had been working for in Aries, that led to the violent explosion that highlighted his deteriorating mental state. Vincent Van Gogh's Self-Portrait, 1889Image via Canva. As one of the best known and most studied artists of the 19th century, Van Gogh's madness and how it influenced his work is not new information. But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years—revealed in the 2010s thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope. A video at the bottom of the page will explain everything, but before we get there, let's do some backstory: We known Van Gogh was an artist—and a genius artist at that—but, it turns out, he was also scientist. Kind of.Whether intentionally or not, fresh eyes have found that Van Gogh's art—aside from being breathtaking—also captures one of science and nature's most elusive concepts: Turbulence. The concept of turbulence is hard to understand with math, but it turns out art makes it fairly easy to comprehend through depiction. So, what is turbulence?According to Britannica, turbulence, or turbulent flow, is a concept of fluid dynamics in which a type of fluid flow (liquid or gas like air or water or air) undergoes an irregular fluctuation or energy cascade. In other words, the air or water swirls and eddies as it moves: big eddies make smaller eddies, and those make even smaller ones, and so on. Common examples of turbulent flow include blood flow in arteries, lava flow, atmosphere and ocean currents, and the flow in boat wakes or surrounding the tips of aircraft wings. It looks like this: Turbulent flow illustrated and animated. All Van Gogh GIFs via TED-Ed. The thing is, scientists only started figuring this out pretty recently. Animation of art referencing science. All Van Gogh GIFs via TED-Ed. And yet, there was Mr. Vincent Van Gogh, 100 years earlier in his asylum with a mutilated ear and able to accurately capture this turbulent flow in what would become his most famous work, Starry Night. Animated Starry Night All Van Gogh GIFs via TED-Ed. The folks who noticed Van Gogh's ability to capture turbulence checked to see whether other artists did the same. Most of the Impressionists achieved "luminance" with their art—a striking and lifelike depiction of light's effect on color. While impressive, they did not capture or depict turbulence the way Van Gogh did. An animated depiction of The Scream. All Van Gogh GIFs via TED-Ed. Not even Edvard Munch's The Scream, with it's swirling color and movement, could recreate what Van Gogh had accomplished.Even in his darkest time, Van Gogh was able to capture—with eerie accuracy—one of nature's most complex and confusing concepts 100 years before scientists had the technology to do so. Who would have thought that the beauty Van Gogh captured was foreshadowing what scientists would observe in the real, natural world in a century's time? To learn even more, watch the TED-Ed video below: - YouTube youtu.be This article originally appeared twelve years ago. It has been updated.

Talking to one another is one of the most basic things we do, and yet human communication is actually pretty weird when you think about it. We can't speak to everyone because none of us knows every one of the world's thousands of languages. We can say the exact same words but change their meaning simply by changing our tone of voice. Some people are avid, smooth conversationalists, and others are so anxious about social interactions that we need therapy to help us get through them. Human conversation is complicated, no doubt. But oddly, there are some rules we all adhere to when we talk to one another that most of us aren't even aware of. These rules make conversations make sense and allow us to understand inferred or implied meanings, but we follow them so subconsciously that we probably don't recognize that we're doing it. We follow Grice's Maxims without realizing it most of the time.Photo credit: CanvaThese "rules" are known as Grice's Maxims, named for linguist and philosopher Paul Grice, who detailed these rules. Under the umbrella of the Cooperative Principle—meaning our shared understanding that conversation is meant to be a cooperative endeavor in which we strive to communicate effectively—Grice explained four maxims we all follow:1. QUANTITY (be informative) The quantity maxim leads us to be as informative as possible while not giving more detail than is needed. 2. QUALITY (be truthful)The quality maxim means we tell the truth by default, not providing information that's false or lacking evidence.3. RELATION (be relevant)The relation maxim compels us to say things that are pertinent or related to the conversation. 4. MANNER (be clear)The manner maxim means being brief and orderly in what we say, avoiding obscurity or ambiguity.Tom Scott explains Grice's Maxims and gives examples of how they help us understand one another. - YouTube www.youtube.com For example, we use the term "vegan burgers" but not "vegan tomatoes" because "vegan" is not a necessary descriptor for tomatoes, which everyone knows are always vegan. That's Grice's first maxim of Quantity—give as much information as is required, but no more. Breaking this rule sounds strange. We can see Grice's Maxims at work in the simple exchange in which one person says, "I'm out of petrol," and the other person says, "There's a garage down the street." "Without context, just using the super literal, logical meaning of those sentences, there's no connection there," Scott explains. "Those are just two factual statements. But if you assume I'm trying to follow the cooperative principle, then you can automatically work out a lot more." A brief conversation about running out of gas illustrates Grice's Maxims.Photo credit: CanvaFor instance, the relation maxim leads us to the conclusion that the garage probably has petrol. The quantity maxim means that "there's a garage down the street" is all you need to say to imply that you can push your car down the street, buy gas, and solve the problem of being on empty (a problem which was also implied in the first sentence, as Scott points out). The quality maxim assumes that both statements are true, and due to the manner maxim, we can assume that "garage" is just a dialectical term for a gas station.Then Scott explained that the maxims can be violated or flouted. Violating a maxim is basically just lying and trying to deceive, but flouting these maxims can be done to say something without really saying it. He gave the example of a recommendation letter that is too brief and not informative enough, which implies that the person writing it has nothing to really recommend about the person. What's fun about Grice's Maxims is the comedy that happens when the cooperative principle is not assumed and statements or questions are taken literally. Think of all the literal quips from "Airplane" or "The Naked Gun." Quote I Am Serious GIF by Top 100 Movie Quotes of All Time Giphy People in the comments shared examples of exchanges that are taken literally instead of understanding the implied meaning, and it's hilarious."I'm out of petrol" "That's good, it probably wasn't safe to be in it.""Would you like something to drink?" "What are my options?" "Yes and no.""Coffee or tea?" "Coffee" "Wrong, it's tea.""I'm seeing stars.""Did you see a doctor?" "No, just stars.""Hello, my name is Kevin without 'M'.""But there is no 'M' in Kevin.""That's what I said.""What is your main flaw?" "I correctly interpret the semantics of the questions, but I ignore their essence.""Could you give an example? "I could." Some people pointed out that learning about these maxims could help neurodivergent people have easier conversations. Even though Scott says they aren't meant to be prescriptive, "do this" kinds of rules, knowing that they are inherent in social exchanges, is an important piece of the effective communication puzzle. Isn't being human just fascinating?

Any parent who has had a child struggling with mental health knows how helpless it can make you feel. You want to fix it, to kiss the boo-boo and make it all better, but you can't. Finding and getting the help your child needs, whether they're 7 or 27, can be a long, frustrating process, and seeing your kid suffering in the meantime is incredibly difficult.They say it takes a village, and that's especially true when mental health issues disrupt your child's life. Having other people love and support your loved one who is struggling is huge, whether it's other family members, community members, or friends. That's why a mom reaching out to her son's friend who had been by their side through a severe depression resonates with so many.A person shared on Reddit that they had received a text from their friend's mom after the friend had been through a bout of depression. It read: from MadeMeSmile "This is _____'s mom. Just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing by my child through their toughest times. Seeing my child struggle was the most painful experience of my life. Your presence, patience, and support meant the world. You've been a true blessing and I'll forever be grateful to you as I can see my child smile again. May you always be surrounded by love, kindness and compassion you selflessly gave to my child. You have been a blessing in our lives."Helping someone with depression is not easy, no matter who you are. Friends and family often don't know what to do and can end up distancing themselves or responding in a way that's not helpful. It's clear that the mom recognized this fact and expressing her gratitude is a beautiful way of acknowledging the difference this friend made. Having someone stay by your side through depression is a gift.Photo credit: CanvaPeople were moved by the mom's message and the evidence of the friend's staunch support."Oh 100% would uuuuugly-sob if I got a text like this! What a thoughtful acknowledgement and message of gratitude. Clearly, you are a wonderful and empathetic friend! ?""I'm stifling back tears. I have no doubt that the loving treatment you gave this child was its own reward; however, this beautifully written note is touching and uplifting. Empathy and kindness should be acknowledged. You are both lovely and safe people. I can only wish you and your kids the best, and maybe a growing friendship. Kudos!""100% chance that their mom was ugly crying writing this. Experiencing suffering yourself is one thing, but the helplessness of watching your child suffer is excruciating. OP, thanks for being a ray of sunshine in stormy times for this family." Watching your child struggle with mental health is painful.Photo credit: Canva"Kinda like I am now. My Heart goes out to any mom who sees their child struggling, no matter what the age, and feel helpless. Then to have someone be able to provide support in a way that can only come from a friend and not a mom - it just wrecks me to think of how great of a gift it was.""My adult son is struggling with depression. As a parent, it’s gut-wrenching. I mean, it’s harder for them than for me. But my heart is in a constant state of breaking.""This clearly shows how you can be surrounded by the best people and still suffer from depression. If this parent shows this much love toward their child’s friend, I can only imagine how amplified it is toward their child who still had to work through it. What lovely people. I hope all involved are thriving."It's a good reminder to do what we can for one another and to let people know when you see and appreciate their efforts for your loved ones. It truly takes a village for all of us to thrive.